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March 15, 2005
Students choose to serve during spring break
Not every Hamline student will be spending carefree days basking in the sun at a warm vacation spot this spring break. In fact, many will be making a difference and learning a thing or two along the way during spring break.
Each year, groups of students take part in service learning trips run by the Office of Service Learning and Volunteerism, coordinated by Sharon Jaffe. Jaffe explained the overall goals of program as being a means to educate students about the importance of learning to serve, to participate, and to contribute to community.
Via e-mail, Jaffe added that the goal is also “to give students the opportunity to increase their skills at knowing their own strengths and challenges related to learning about poverty, racism, activism, civic participation, and cross cultural communication, and to provide an intensive way to have fun, meet fabulous students, and experience a community different from ours here at Hamline.”
The trips will send 37 students to different parts of the country to take part in intercultural service projects.
This year, groups will be going to Philadelphia, Chicago, Berkeley and the White Earth Indian reservation in Detroit lakes.
Megan Bentley is going to Berkeley to learn about immigration organizations. During the first part of the weekend, the group will be attending a conference on social activitism. The rest of the week, the group will visit different immigration organizations to help with new immigrants and their needs. At these different organizations, they will be doing service projects. Bentley sees this trip as a good way to be educated off campus: “I really value outside-of-class opportunities. It is a way to get a first-hand education,” Bentley said.
Matt Edwards is heading to Chicago and learning about how health services deal with HIV/AIDS patients.
“I’ve always been interested in public health, and Sharon Jaffe helped me decide on this trip,” Edwards said.
Another group is driving to Philadelphia, where they will work with four different homelessness organizations. Laura Wilson is the student leader for the group; she said that OSLV spring break trips are good because they give students the ability to serve at least one week out of the hectic school year.
Dave Danielson is heading with his group to the White Earth Indian reservation outside of Detroit Lakes.
There they will learning about sustainable living communities. Danielson describes sustainable living communities as a way of living with the environment instead of taking wastefully from the land.
“I like to get away from the city and it’s nice to help people out and learn something at the same time,” Danielson said.
Posted by msveum at March 15, 2005 01:34 PM
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